


Rides With Jack

by letsdoaskit



Category: Septiplier - Fandom, jacksepticeye - Fandom, markiplier - Fandom, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Highschool AU, Jock Mark, M/M, Punk Jack, also jack watches mark practice sports, and he has a really fun mom, jack likes drawing, mark gives jack rides home, mark has a crush on jack, mostly in jacks chapters though, now including side pewdiecry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-07-14 14:14:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7175240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/letsdoaskit/pseuds/letsdoaskit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark has always had a crush on a certain green haired punk, maybe he can make it into more during his daily car trips.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, look who's back! It's me...again! I'm very sorry. I posted two stories in two days and then left for like a lot of days.. (I'm on break sorry not doing the math) I do have a reasonable excuse though, as of yesterday, I am now qualified to drive (with an adult present) Yay! Once again very sorry if you kept up with both of those stories and expected more sooner! Anyways sit back, relax, and I hope you enjoy.  
> -letsdoaskit  
> *As always, sorry for any grammatical errors!  
> **Also when I say "football" I am referring to the American version to clarify, I am sorry if this disappoints you

       Mark had always thought he was straight. He just assumed that was him and presented himself as your friendly neighborhood non-judgemental, completely accepting, straight football player. Well that wasn't completely true. He played soccer and basketball too. Okay, okay, so the lie was that he isn't completely straight.

Mark discovered this neat, little fact in middle school when a transfer student arrived from Ireland. The kid came to school looking as if he had dipped himself in black paint, aside from his hair which was a shocking shade of green. Everything about him screamed, "Stay away!"

Mark couldn't get enough of it.

He took every chance he could to befriend his new classmate. Fate, however, decided to stick her nasty hand between them. Once they entered high school, Mark and Jack were separated into completely different classes. Mark remembered how upset he was, he felt as though he had just started to become friends with Jack before being ripped away from him. He continued doing his best in his classes and sports after accepting their separation and convincing himself that finding Jack to propose friendship after school would be too creepy. He went on like this all the way until senior year. (AN- this is the last year of school before graduating to college in America if you were unaware)

He entered the school on his last first day before going to his homeroom for the year. He was excited for the upcoming school year, he had chosen to take easy classes , he had a great homeroom teacher, and he was participating in all of his favorite sports again this year. It was going to be great. He was thinking happily about all of this when none other than Sean "Jack" McLoughlin walked into the room. " _Oh!"_ He thought, " _This really IS going to be a great year._ "

"Hey." Jack greeted as he sat down diagonal from Mark's seat. " _Now is your chance to impress him!_ " Mark thought to himself before bursting out an extremely loud, "Hi there!"

Mark wanted to punch himself until he heard Jack laugh slightly.

"You are WAY too excited this early in the morning." He said as he turned to focus more on Mark.

"Are you not? This is our last first day of school! You should be pumped!" Mark encouraged.

"Yeah, our last first day unless you count college. I really don't get the excitement." Jack said bluntly, raising one eyebrow.

"Aw come on, Jack! Don't be so pessimistic!" Mark said smiling.

"You know my name." Jack stated incredulously. Mark blushed.

"Well, yeah. Is that weird?" He asked.

Jack was about to answer when other students started to file in and the bell rang.

"Thanks for the chat, Mark. I hope you enjoy your last first day." Jack rushed out before turning to the front of the room and waiting for instruction.

\---

Mark couldn't get it out of his head. The way Jack said his name, drawing out the A-R sound with his Irish accent. He never knew he could be so attracted to nothing but a person's voice. Of course he had heard Jack say his name before but that had been in middle school, before puberty hit. He couldn't pay attention in any of his classes, not that it mattered, all of the teachers just went over introductions and the syllabus on the first day anyway.

At lunch, he saw Jack across the room from him. He was eating with a few friends and smiling slightly causing Mark's heart to flutter.

"Hey Mark, a bit distracted there?" His friend Bob asked as he sat down at the lunch table. His friends have known about his long running crush on Jack since middle school and tease him endlessly over it.

"You know, Mark, in the movies it's always the other way around. We always see the outcast, punk kid pining for the popular kid. It's cool to see the popular kid do it." Wade said smiling. Mark shot him a glare.

"This isn't the movies, Wade. I'm not your entertainment." Mark said, still glaring.

"Woah, Mark, calm down, Wade wasn't saying that to be mean." Bob said.

"Oh! Never Mark! I wouldn't do that! I just meant, it's cool that you break those stereotypes that the popular kids are mean and untouchable." Wade said apologetically. Mark softened.

"Thanks Wade. But I'm afraid this movie isn't going to get that happy ending you want."

Bob and Wade looked at each other pointedly.

"What was that about? Are you two planning something?" Mark asked suddenly concerned.

"Well, you see Mark-" Wade started before Bob cut in,

"We made a plan."

"A plan?" Mark asked still confused.

"Yes, a plan to get you and Jack to accept your love for each other and ride off into the sunset by the end of the year." Bob said bluntly, staring into Mark's eyes.

"Uhh.."

"No need to thank us. We're only doing our duties as your friends." Wade said.

"You aren't going to do anything!" Mark said, finding his words.

"What? Why?" Bob asked.

" First of all, you don't even know Jack. Not to mention who he likes." Mark started.

"Actually, we got assigned as year long lab partners in science." Bob said interjecting.

"Okaaay. You still don't know him though." Mark argued.

"That's why we have until the end of the year, doofus. You two are in the same homeroom right?" Wade asked.

"How did you know that? Why are you both suddenly so stalkery?" Mark asked.

"Relax, we just checked the list Mark and we're only doing this for you so if you really want us to back off we will." Bob reassured.

"I REALLY do. I appreciate the thought guys but I can manage on my own." Mark said as he got up to leave.

"We're not really backing off are we?" Wade asked once Mark was out of ear shot.

"Of course not!" Bob replied getting up to follow.

\---

 Mark got through the rest of his classes without an issue before finally going to his homeroom to wait for the dismissal bell to ring. Once he sat down he hoped that Jack would start up another conversation, he didn't. Mark sat disappointingly, staring at his phone before being released and heading to his car. On his way home he saw a lone figure walking slowly down the sidewalk. It quickly became apparent that this was Jack. After a moment of debate, Mark pulled up beside him.

"Um... Hey, Jack." He started as Jack looked up confused, "I know we don't really know each other but do you want a ride home?" Mark finished, hoping he didn't sound like a murderer.

"Actually, if you don't mind, I would really appreciate that Mark." Jack said.

"Course not. Hop in!" Mark said happily.

Jack ran around to the other side of the car to get in while Mark moved his book bag out of the passengers seat.

"So, where am I going?" Mark asked. Jack gave him his address and promised to give verbal direction.

"Do you have your drivers license?" Mark asked as he drove.

"Yeah, I usually drive but my car broke down so I have to walk for awhile." Jack explained.

"Oh I see." Mark said thoughtfully.

"You know, if you don't mind waiting around during practice, I can give you rides home until your car is fixed." Mark offered causing Jack to blush.

"You really don't have to do that Mark." Jack said.

"Please, it would be my pleasure!" Mark said before continuing, "Besides I don't want you to have to walk home by yourself everyday."

Jack hesitated before giving a quick nod.

"But any day you don't feel like it, I enjoy walking, it wouldn't be a problem."

"Deal." Mark said pulling up at Jack's house.

"Thank you again for the ride Mark." Jack said, standing out in his black clothes against his house's bright flowers.

"No need to thank me. See you tomorrow." Mark said offering a smile. Jack returned it before a voice came from his house.

"Sean! Is that you? Did you bring a friend home?" The voice asked excitedly. Jack blushed again causing Mark to laugh.

"No Ma! Mark just drove me home!" He shouted back. "You'd better leave before she catches you. Thanks again though!" Jack said as he ran towards the house.

Once Jack was safely inside, Mark began his drive home.

 _"What the hell just happened?"_ He asked himself once he arrived and the realization struck.

He spent the rest of the night pondering this question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real talk, this story was supposed to be a one shot. I couldn't do it. I'm making it multiple chapters. This could mean two chapters or this could mean 10, I don't know. It could also be updated every week or every month, again I don't know. I've never done anything like this before but I hope I can do it without disappointing you! I also don't have the story set in stone yet so if you would like to suggest additional characters or stuff for Bob and Wade's plan it is very welcome. Thanks again for reading!  
> -letsdoaskit


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack gets to talk with Bob and watch Mark practice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! Guess who's back with another chapter? It's me. Sorry for the disappointment. I think I'm going to try and do a switch off between Mark and Jack's points of view between the chapters, I'd love to know if you guys like that idea or if you'd prefer I just stick to Mark or whatever you want. I'm also thinking about adding Felix in as Jack's friend. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and feedback and suggestions are always welcome! :)  
> -letsdoaskit
> 
> *Sorry about grammar and all that, I know I suck with commas...  
> **I almost forgot, special thanks KindledGenetics for the dialogue suggestions, I hope I met expectations :p

       Jack walked into his house, dazed by what had just occurred. Mark Fischbach, popular, middle school crush, Mark Fischbach just drove him home. Then he offered to drive Jack home everyday further proving that Jack was dreaming. Dropping his bag at the door, he headed to the kitchen and sat at the small table where his mom was seated.

"So, who was that?" His mom questioned.

"I told you, it was Mark." Jack answered vaguely.

"You know I haven't heard you mention a Mark since you were in eighth grade. He had "the most perfect face" as I recall." She said looking at him knowingly. Jack blushed.

"This might be the same one." Jack admitted.

"Does he still have a perfect face?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's REALLY perfect now though." Jack smiled, happy that she wasn't teasing him. "He's going to be taking me home until my car is fixed."

"Look at you! Getting all the dates and it's only the first day of school!" She exclaimed causing Jack to groan.

"Ma, he's just being friendly."

"Don't worry, he'll fall victim to your beautiful face soon enough!" She said pinching one of his cheeks. "Might speed it along if you wore something other than black though." She said.

"Ma!" He protested.

"Okay, okay! I'm done!"

As she walked out of the room she yelled over her shoulder,

"Blue would look lovely with your eyes sweetheart!"

He laughed silently, shaking his head before moving to get a snack.

\---

When he entered the classroom the next day, Mark was sat on his phone.

"Good morning, Mark." He said as he sat down. Mark's head shot up.

"Hi, Jack!" He said excitedly.

"Are you like this every morning?" Jack asked laughing. Mark blushed.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just a morning person." He said.

"Well, I'm jealous of you in that regard." Jack replied.

"Yeah it's pretty helpful not being a zombie during my first few periods." Mark said.

They chatted more until it was time to head to first period. Jack said a goodbye and headed to his science class. The teacher was starting off the year with a lab on the second day to "get them excited". Jack's lab partner was a guy named Bob, he didn't know him but he did know that the guy was friends with Mark. Jack didn't see Mark as the type of person to have mean friends so he wasn't too concerned. He walked into the room and took his seat next to his lab partner.

"Hello." He greeted a bit shyly.

"Hey there." Bob said looking at him with something Jack couldn't detect. Mischief maybe? Before Jack could decide the teacher walked in to explain the lab. It was some kind of weird trust test where one of them had to add liquids based on the others calculations. If they got it wrong the beaker could overflow or be under filled. Jack didn't really get the point of it but he went along anyway. They decided that Jack would calculate and Bob would pour. As Jack set to work with the math, Bob remained silent for a few moments.

"So, do you know Mark Fischbach?" Bob asked. Jack paused his calculating to look up.

"Yeah. He's a nice guy. He offered to drive me home while my car is broken." Jack answered.

"Did you accept?" Bob asked excitedly.

"Yes?" Jack said a bit confused.

"That's cool." Bob said, containing himself. "Did you know that he plays like every sport offered here?" Bob asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure everyone knows that." Jack said, looking back at the paper to continue working.

"But have you ever seen him play? He's really good. One of the strongest guys on the football team in fact."

"Sports really aren't my thing." Jack answered, despite the fact that he'd considered going to multiple games just to see Mark play.

"Oh. You should go to a game this season. Just to try it out." Bob suggested.

"Maybe." Jack said not really paying attention anymore.

"You know, Mark also-"

"Do you talk about anything other than Mark?" Jack asked, interrupting Bob's sentence.

"I don't mean that to be rude. I just would prefer to learn about you. I can learn about Mark from him." Jack said.

"I'm not all that interesting." Bob answered.

"I don't believe that for a second. Mark plays every sport, but so do you! I'd love to get to know you, considering we're stuck together all year."

Bob sat in surprise for a few seconds before telling Jack about himself. Eventually Jack finished the calculations and Bob poured the perfect amount into the beaker, earning praise from their teacher.

"Thanks, Jack. Most people don't really care about what I'm like, even if we're friends. You really surprised me there." Bob said sincerely once class had ended.

"You're welcome." Jack responded, not expecting the sincerity in Bob's voice.

\---

In homeroom at the end of the day, Mark informed Jack that the football coach had called a random practice.

"I'm sorry, I would have told you but I didn't know about it until lunch. My mom even had to drop off my equipment."

"That's fine. I'll walk today." Jack reassured.

"It's only an hour if you wait." Mark said hopefully. Jack considered it in his head. He would get to watch the practice which would be good for obvious reasons. But he would also be home a bit later than usual.

"Yeah, okay. Just let me text my mom." He said, making a decision. Mark's face brightened.

"Great! You can wait in the stands if you want. A couple of other people hang out there during practice too so you wouldn't be totally alone." Mark said.

"Alright." Jack said, texting his mom.

Once the dismissal bell rang, Mark ran to the locker room and Jack headed towards the bleachers. Once he got there he took out a sketchbook and some headphones, choosing to ignore the other students sat excitedly in a group. " _They do know this isn't an actual game right?_ " Jack asked himself, shaking his head. He sat wondering what to draw before deciding on a portrait. It was supposed to be a random face, but halfway through it he realized he was drawing Mark. Sighing inwardly, he flipped to the next page and risked a glance up for the first time since practice began. It took a moment to find Mark at the push sleds, in shorts and a tank top, opposed to his normal jeans and a t-shirt. Jack quickly reached the conclusion that Bob was VERY right, Mark was indeed strong. It took a minute for him to pry his eyes off of the sight. Looking back at his sketchbook, he decided to draw the football practice, that way he could draw Mark and it wouldn't be creepy. He spent the rest of the time immersed in his drawing before he felt one of his headphones pulled out of his ear.

"Having fun there?" It was Mark, still dressed in his practice clothes.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you were finished." Jack said, starting to pack his stuff away.

"That's okay. What were you drawing?" Mark asked curiously. Jack blushed.

"Nothing important." He replied. Mark squinted at him.

"I'll figure out the truth." He said causing Jack to laugh.

"Good luck with that." He said as they made their way towards Mark's car.

Once they were both settled, Mark began to drive.

"A tree?" Mark asked suddenly.

"What?" Jack asked confused.

"Your drawing. Was it a tree?" Mark asked.

"No, why are you so interested?" Jack questioned. Mark blushed.

"I don't know. I wasn't aware that you liked to draw and I'm just curious I guess." Mark answered.

"Oh." Jack said.

"Do I get to know what it is now?" Mark asked.

"The football practice." Jack answered.

"Ooh! Can I see it?" Mark asked excitedly.

"No." Jack answered.

"Aw, please?" Mark begged.

"You're driving." Jack said.

"Touché." Mark said. "What about when we get to your house?" He asked.

"No." Jack said.

"Why not?" Mark asked.

"I don't know. It feels weird." Jack said, not really sure why the idea of Mark seeing his sketches gave him such anxiety.

The rest of the car ride was filled with Mark's begging and Jack's adamant refusal. Once they arrived, Mark sat back grumpily.

"Aw, are you upset Marky?" Jack asked playfully.

"Maybe now, but I'll wear you down eventually." Mark said.

"Well, I wish you luck on your quest. Thanks for taking me home, be safe on your way back!" Jack said as he exited the car and ran to his house. Once he entered he let out a sigh of relief. He had acted confident in the car, but he knew it wouldn't take Mark much effort to get Jack to do anything.

As he made his way up the stairs, he wondered what kind of mess he'd gotten himself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is curious, I always have to listen to music while I write and normally it's one song per story or chapter just on repeat (listenonrepeat.com yo). For this chapter I listened to The Apology Song from The Book of Life, I don't know why, I was just feeling it though. Also I don't really get football and had to look up what the pushy things were called so I'm sorry if I get any of that wrong, I know practices aren't randomly scheduled but I required it for the plot so I'm sorry for that as well. :p  
> -letsdoaskit


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark doesn't like when Jack is absent, but Bob has a solution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I haven't abandoned you and am back with another chapter! I'm going to try and do weekly updates but who knows, my motivation flip flops sometimes. I wanted to get this chapter up because I'm going to be really busy this week and I don't know how much time I'll have to write. Suggestions are still welcome, and I still have no idea how long this will be. Thank you for following for this long and I really hope I don't let you down!  
> -letsdoaskit
> 
> *Grammar and stuff, sorry.

    Mark couldn't take it. Jack had already been perfect in his eyes and the drawing thing just added to it. Sure, Mark hadn't gotten a good look at the picture but judging from the glimpse he saw before Jack put his sketch book away, Jack was very talented. Then, he had been so adorable and shy when Mark asked to see it, it was going to give Mark a heart attack. Once Mark arrived home, he went straight to his room and flopped on the bed. He sighed wondering when a little crush got the potential to be love. He was called out of his thoughts by his text tone going off.

_Bob - How was the date?_

Mark groaned and hesitated before responding.

_Mark - It wasn't a date, asshole._

_Wade - You sure about that?_

_Mark - Did you really add me to a group chat to bug me about a car ride?_

_Bob - Yes._

Bob was always the one who used blunt honesty.

_Mark - Go do your homework or something._

_Bob - I don't have any. Besides, don't you want to know what I learned about Jack in science today?_

Mark tried to ignore the message but he was curious. It wasn't too creepy to get your friends opinions about someone anyway.

_Wade - You can tell me about it, Bob._

_Bob - Yeah, I suppose Mark doesn't want to know._

_Mark - Alright, you succeeded in baiting me, spill._

Mark could practically see Bob's smug smile as he sent the message, but he wanted to know.

_Bob - He was actually very nice._

_Mark - That's it? I knew that already._

_Bob -  Fine. He said he isn't really into sports, he's really smart, and he was pretty shy at first. Is that better?_

_Mark - He doesn't like sports and I made him sit through practice? Great._

_Wade - He seemed pretty happy in the stands._

_Mark - You haven't even met him Wade. How would you know?_

_Wade - That was rude for one and for two, he was smiling the whole time, it wasn't a far leap.  
_

_Mark - Whatever.  
_

_Wade - Aw, don't be angry, Marky.  
_

_Mark - You know I'm not. I have to go do some homework though.  
_

_Bob - What class?_

_Mark - Math._

_Wade - Ew._

_Bob - Have fun with that._

_Mark - Thanks, I'm sure I will._

Mark said a goodnight and went to his desk with a sigh to start his homework.

Instead he spent an hour thinking about Jack and staring at a piece of paper before going to sleep.

\---

Mark's life went on normally for the first month of school. He continued giving Jack rides home everyday and Jack continued to draw during practices. Mark still could only catch glimpses of the drawings, but he didn't mind, it was fun trying to get Jack to open up. He knew Bob and Wade hadn't abandoned their little plan to push him and Jack together, but Mark was okay with it as long as they didn't do anything too crazy. Everything was going great until late September. Jack, who cared a surprising amount about his attendance, was absent from school. Mark was immediately put into a bad mood.

"Hey, Mark. What's up?" Bob asked when he found Mark in their shared math class third period.

"Just going through life." Mark said with a sour face.

"So, Jack's not here today." Bob said.

"Yeah, I know." Mark said, trying to look as if he didn't care.

"Have you texted him to ask what's wrong?" Bob asked, knowing that Jack and Mark exchanged numbers a couple of weeks ago.

"Why would I do that? It's not as if we're best friends, Bob." Mark said with a sigh.

"If you won't then I will." Bob said.

"Be my guest." Mark said.

He was trying to be in a good mood, but seeing Jack every morning was what made him so happy everyday. He hadn't realized how much he had come to depend on his presence in his day. At lunch he stared at Jack's normal table sadly. He knew Jack would probably be back tomorrow, but he couldn't help but be worried. For being a no rules, punk kid Jack sure did care about the rules and he took great pride in his attendance.

"Hey, Jack texted me back." Bob said as he sat at the lunch table with Wade. Mark whipped his head over to Bob.

"Where is he?" Mark asked urgently.

"He's just sick. It apparently came over night and he's not sure if he's coming tomorrow either." Bob said.

"Oh." Mark said, slightly relieved, but also disappointed that Jack might be absent tomorrow as well.

"He did ask if I could bring over some of our science work though." Bob said with a smile.

"So?" Mark asked confused.

"Well, I'm pretty busy after school. What about you, Wade?" Bob asked.

"I'm pretty busy too. If only there was someone we knew who could take it over." Wade said pointedly. Mark looked at them both.

"Will you visit your boyfriend and take this over for me?" Bob asked

"He isn't my boyfriend." Mark said blushing, but accepting the papers anyway.

"Thanks Mark." Bob said and Mark smiled gratefully.

\---

After school, Mark drove to Jack's house nervously. He had sent a text after lunch telling Jack that he was delivering his science work instead of Bob. Jack had responded saying that that was fine.

When he arrived, Mark walked nervously towards the door and knocked. It was answered by who he assumed was Jack's mother. He was disappointed that he wouldn't see Jack, but he quickly shook it off.

"Um, hi. I have some of Jack's school work." Mark said awkwardly. The woman's face brightened.

"You must be Mark!" She said with a smile. "I'm Jack's mother." She held out her hand for him to shake. He took it and smiled.

"It's nice to meet you." Mark greeted.

"You're the one who's been giving my son rides home, right?" She asked and Mark nodded.

"Well thank you for that! I hate the idea of him walking everyday, he gets lost in his head sometimes, stays out for hours before realizing that he should be home." She explained.

"You don't have to thank me. I was just being polite." Mark said.

"I absolutely do! In fact, I just made a fresh batch of cookies. Why don't you take Jack his school work while I get some ready for you to take home?" She asked.

"That's not necessary. Besides, I don't want to impose."

"Don't make me drag you in here." She said with a glare and Mark decided that going into the house couldn't hurt.

"Jack! Your friend is bringing up your schoolwork!" She yelled as they came to a staircase. Mark heard a faint "Okay."

"Go on up. It's the first door on your right." She said.

Mark nodded and made his way up the stairs. He hesitated before knocking on the door, he wasn't sure Jack would be happy that Mark was in his house. The door swung open and Mark's heart clenched. Jack was standing there in a pair of sweatpants, an old t-shirt, and glasses looking as if he would prefer to be dead rather than being sick. He had bags under his eyes and was even more pale than usual. It was adorable.

"Hi. Sorry, Bob was busy so he asked me to bring this over." Mark said after a few seconds of silence.

"Thank you." Jack said. Mark cringed inwardly, Jack's voice was _destroyed_.

"You sound awful. Is there anything else I can do for you?" Mark asked sympathetically.

"Kill me?" Jack asked before breaking into a coughing fit.

"Nah, I like you too much for that." Mark said once Jack had settled down. Jack gave a weak smile and might have blushed. Mark couldn't decide if it was from the coughing or his compliment.

"Thanks again. I really owe you a lot for helping me out so much this year." Jack said.

"You don't owe me anything. That's what friends do. Now stop talking before you kill your throat even more." Mark said with a smile.

"Yes sir." Jack said with a nod.

"It was good to see you, Jack. Get better soon." Mark said. Jack gave a nod before waving and shutting the door to go back to sleep. Mark went back downstairs to find Jack's mother waiting at the door with a box.

"Thank you, Mark." She said as they walked towards his car.

"For what?" Mark asked, getting a bit overwhelmed by all of the thank you's he was receiving.

"For being there for him. He's been a lot happier since you started taking him home and I appreciate that." She said. Mark blushed and nodded.

"Here. My cookies have won awards so you better enjoy them." She said playfully.

"I'm sure I will. Thank you and it was nice meeting you, Mrs. McLoughlin." He said as he took the box from her and got into the car.

"You too, Mark. You're a sweet boy, but remember that won't stop me from whooping you if you hurt my son." She said threateningly.

"Understood." Mark said as he shut the door and started his drive home.

He went to sleep, happy that he was able to see Jack after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping to start getting some longer chapters as the story starts to evolve. After rereading the rest off the story I got really annoyed with how short they were so I'm hoping to fix that. While writing this, I listened to a french version of "Photograph" by Ed Sheeran done by Sara'h Officiel (I love French music) Hope you enjoyed the update!  
> -letsdoaskit
> 
> *Next chapter I'm hoping to add Felix by the way. I haven't forgotten, I just want to introduce him using Jack's point of view. Then Mark might get a bit jealous, but you didn't hear it from me ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack really needs to stop paying so much attention to Mark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, tis I, your friendly writer back again to bring you another chapter to this fanfiction! I'm back from my week of being busy and as promised I added Felix into this chapter. I'd love to know what you guys think of how I wrote him because I had a lot of fun writing him, he's so playful, haha. Feedback and suggestions are always welcome, thank you for continuing to read!  
> -letsdoaskit
> 
> *yo, sorry for grammar and stuffz  
> **Also, this chapter has some cursing and inappropriate jokes, so please be aware.

     Jack kind of wanted to die. Somewhat because his body felt like death, but mostly because Mark saw it. Jack knew that he looked pretty bad, going by Mark's reaction. He hadn't showered that day, he was wearing his pajamas, and he hadn't even brushed his hair. He hadn't expected Mark to be the one to bring his homework up, but he can't say that he was completely upset about the visit. Seeing Mark improved his mood by tenfold. It aggravated Jack that someone had that kind of power over him, but he couldn't help it. After he left, Jack just felt happier for some reason. The realization bothered him. He shouldn't become so dependent on someone that he's barely even friends with. He frowned and grabbed his phone from the nightstand beside his bed. He checked the time before deciding to text his best friend.

His best friend, who was named Felix, was also a transfer student, except he came from Sweden. The guy was pretty weird. He had a strange thing for salad and made a lot of inappropriate jokes, but Jack loved him anyway. He was also the only one of Jack's friends that knew about his crush on Mark.

_Jack - Hey, are you still up?_

_Felix - What you haven't died yet, bitch?_

Jack let out a small laugh. Felix was always so caring.

_Jack - Nah, I decided that I want to outlive you._

_Felix - In your dreams. Is there something wrong?  
_

_Jack - No, I just realized that I've kind of been ignoring you lately._

_Felix - It's okay I know that you're busy getting that sweet ass on Mark._

_Jack - Shut up._

_Felix - You love me._

_Jack - No. Do you want to come over tomorrow?_

_Felix - Depends, are you still sick?_

_Jack - I mean, yeah. But I'm coming to school tomorrow._

_Felix - Bro, you really need to stop caring so much for your attendance, it doesn't fit the image._

_Jack - As if you're completely punk, Mr. Straight A's._

_Felix - Just planning for the future and sure I guess I'll hang out with you, loser._

_Jack - I'm so flattered._

_Felix - I know. Now go to sleep, peasant._

_Jack - Geez, why's everyone keep telling me what to do?_

_Felix - Cause you're our wittle baby!_

_Jack - Goodnight, jerk._

_Felix - Night._

Jack sighed happily and tossed his phone to the side. He would walk home tomorrow and try to stay away from Mark for a week or two. That way, his crush might fade, at least a little bit.

\---

When Jack walked into his homeroom the next morning, he saw Mark's face brighten slightly. _"He's just being politely happy."_ Jack thought to himself before sitting down in his normal seat.

"Hey, glad you're back!" Mark said, happy as ever.

"Yeah. Thanks for bringing my homework over yesterday." Jack responded, his voice still weak and scratchy.

"No problem. Are you sure that coming back today was a good idea? You still sound pretty sick." Mark said, looking concerned.

"I'll be fine. I'm much better than yesterday anyway." Jack said, trying to be blunt with his answers.

"If you say so." Mark said with a frown. Jack felt kind of bad for being so short with him, but Jack needed to try and get rid of this crush before it took over his life.

"By the way, you don't need to take me home this week. I'm going to walk. Fresh air and all that." Jack said a bit regretfully. Mark's frown got wider.

"I mean, it's your choice, but are you sure that your okay to walk?" Mark asked.

"Please, I'm not made out of porcelain. I'll be fine." Jack said, annoyed.

"Okay, I'm sorry." Mark whispered, taken back by Jack's sudden anger.

They didn't speak to each other for the rest of the class. Jack felt bad about being rude to Mark. He was only supposed to ignore him, not be mean to him. He looked up at Mark guiltily every couple of minutes until the bell rang. Jack sighed and went to class. It was going to be a long week.

\---

Jack tried to avoid staring at Mark during lunch, but it was hard not to. Today, he looked upset. He wasn't laughing along with his friends and he didn't eat much. Jack wondered if it was because of the incident this morning, but quickly decided that he wasn't a big enough part in Mark's life for that to be true. After a while, Mark looked up and caught Jack's eyes. Instead of looking away, Jack looked back and they stared at each other blankly for several minutes.

"Jack! Hey! I asked you a question!" Felix said, pulling Jack away from their staring session.

"Sorry, what is it?" Jack asked with a slight blush.

"Sorry for interrupting your eye sex. God." Felix said.

"That's not appropriate, Felix." Jack said with a sigh.

"Sorry, would you prefer I call it "erotic staring"?" He asked sarcastically.

"What was the question?" Jack sighed.

"I asked if you wanted me to just come over right after school, we can go to your house together?" He asked. After a moment of thought, Jack nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds good." He said.

"Are you alright today? You seem a bit down. Did Mark reject your proposal or something?" Felix asked sarcastically.

"No! I'm actually avoiding Mark this week." Jack said confidently.

"What? Why the fuck are you doing that?" Felix asked.

"You know, you swear way more than me. And I'm Irish!" Jack said.

"It's probably your fault. Now tell me why." Felix said.

"I need to get over this dumb crush. You know, get crushes on people who'll actually like me back. Why do you care so much?" Jack asked.

"Because you are obviously ruining my OTP and I can't allow that." Felix said.

"Your what?" Jack asked confused.

"Do you even get on the internet? My One True Pairing. I ship you and Mark." Felix said.

"I don't understand half of the things you just said." Jack said.

"Ugh, we are brushing you up on your internet slang when we get to your house." Felix said.

"Okay?" Jack said, still confused.

"Now, you need to get rid of your dumb plan." Felix said.

"What? No, it's a dumb crush and I need to get over it, Felix." Jack said, confused again.

"No, it isn't dumb, you are. Mark definitely likes you and I need my OTP to get together." Felix said.

"No, he doesn't and stop using that phrase." Jack said.

"He stares at you constantly, Jack. I'm surprised you aren't fucking already." He said.

"Felix! We are in high school!" Jack said, blushing furiously.

"Oh my god, you're such a prude." Felix said, rolling his eyes.

"No, you're just inappropriate." Jack said.

"That might be it." Felix admitted. "Also, if you go through with this plan, I'm totally going to ruin it. I bet Mark's friends will help me too." Felix said.

"What? No, they wouldn't." Jack said.

"Dude, they ship you and Mark more than I do." Felix said.

"What? No, they don't. You don't even know them." Jack argued.

"I have like five classes with Wade. We talk about it all the time." Felix said.

"You what?" Jack asked, surprised and still confused.

"You know what? Don't worry about it. The bell's about to ring, how about we dump our trays?" Felix said as he got up.

"Wait, Felix!" Jack yelled as he went to follow his friend, wondering just how much he didn't know about Felix.

\---

 As Jack walked towards his homeroom at the end of the day, he was trying to decide what to say to Mark. Even if he did go through with ignoring him, he didn't want Mark to be angry at him. When he entered the room, Mark wasn't there. He sat down and waited until the bell rang. Jack looked around, concerned that Mark wasn't in the classroom until he walked in, several minutes late. He looked scrambled and apologized profusely to the teacher before taking his seat, diagonal from Jack. They didn't have anyone around them and both sat awkwardly until they both blurted at the same time,

"I'm sorry!" They both laughed.

"That was weird." Mark said.

"Yeah, but I should talk first. I'm sorry that I was a bit snippy this morning I wasn't in the best mood." Jack said apologetically.

"No, I'm sorry, I was being pushy and annoying." Mark said shaking his head.

"No, you weren't. You were being polite and I was being mean." Jack said. Mark laughed.

"Alright, how about we both just accept each others apology and move on from it?" He suggested and Jack nodded.

"That sounds fair." Jack agreed.

"Good." Mark said.

"I was worried I wouldn't get to tell you because you were late." Jack said.

"Yeah, sorry about that, my locker got jammed and I can't put any of my books into it." Mark said.

"Oh, do you still have them?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, it looks like I'm going to have to take them home." Mark sighed.

"You can put them into my locker if you want." Jack suggested.

"You don't have to do that." Mark said.

"Please, it's not a problem. I have to stop there after school anyway." Jack said.

"Are you sure? I don't want to trouble you." Mark said.

"Of course, I'm sure. You've been driving me home for like a month now, I have to start making up for it somehow." Jack said.

"Don't feel like you owe me anything. I'm just doing what's right. Besides, I like taking you home." Mark said.

"Well either way, you can come with me to my locker after class and we can take care of your books." Jack said and Mark nodded. They continued to chat until the bell rang, signalling the students release. Jack started to lead Mark to his locker.

"Are you still walking this week?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, I just need to clear my head." Jack said. Mark sighed and nodded.

"Here it is." Jack said putting his hand on Mark's chest to stop his walking before quickly removing it with a blush.

"O-okay." Mark said, sounding flustered. Jack quickly opened his locker and motioned for Mark to put his books on the top shelf.

"I don't use that shelf much anyway, it's too high up." Jack said.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Your locker is really clean by the way." Mark stated.

"Thanks, I'll write down the combination for you so you don't have to pull them out before first period and carry them all day." Jack said, grabbing a notebook and pen out of his bookbag.

"Hey, Jack- OH!" He heard a voice yell excitedly. Jack cringed inwardly, hoping Felix didn't embarrass him too much.

"Hey, Felix." He responded with a sigh. Mark looked up, scanning over the new person.

"Mark, this is my good friend, Felix. Felix, this is Mark." Jack introduced.

"Oh, I know who this is, Jack." Felix stated a bit deviously. Jack's eyes went wide. Felix wouldn't reveal his crush, would he?

"This is the most popular kid in school! Mark Fischbach!" He said and Jack let out the breath he was holding. Mark looked between the two of them a bit confused and nodded his head.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you." Mark said, holding out a hand.

"Wow, so polite. It's nice to finally meet the one who's been taking my little angel home for the last month." Felix said, shaking his hand. Jack blushed and wanted to facepalm.

"Oh, are you two... like...together?" Mark asked, narrowing his eyes and looking concerned.

"Yeah, we're almost never apart!" Felix said, watching Mark's reaction closely.

"No, we aren't dating. Felix just likes to mess with people." Jack interjected, shooting Felix a glare.

"If you say so, babe." Felix said, blowing Jack a kiss. Mark stared at Felix silently and with a blank expression and Felix stared right back. Jack looked between them, confused.

"Anyway, here's my combination, Mark!" Jack said, attempting to break the tension. Mark broke the eye contact and looked at Jack with a smile.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it, Jack." Mark said.

"Of course! You can use it for as long as you need!" Jack said.

"That's very kind of you. Now I've got to get to practice, I'll see you tomorrow though." Mark said, ignoring Felix as he said goodbye.

"Yeah, Jack and I should probably start walking. We're going to hang out at his place today." Felix said, putting an arm over Jack's shoulder.

"I'm sure you'll have a great time." Mark said through his teeth.

"It was great meeting you, Mark." Felix said, holding his hand out for Mark to shake again. Mark looked at it before grabbing it. They didn't shake so much as grip and stare each other down. They did this until Jack broke into another coughing fit, getting both of their attention.

"Jack!"

"Are you okay?"

They both asked as they looked at him concerned. As the coughing died down, Jack began to nod.

"Sorry, I'm still a little sick." Jack said, happy that his friends stopped staring each other down.

"Don't apologize. You can't help it. Just make sure to get some sleep tonight, okay?" Mark said as he put a comforting hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Got it. You need to go, you'll be late for practice." Jack said looking at the watch he was wearing.

"Shoot, yeah. Bye, Jack, thanks again!" Mark yelled as he ran down the hallway.

"Bye, Mark!" Felix yelled. Once he was gone, Jack turned to his friend.

"What was that?" Jack asked, confused.

"I was just doing you big favor." Felix said with a smile as he took Jack's backpack from the ground and handed it to him.

"How was that a favor? You really only seemed to aggravate him." Jack said as they began walking.

"Exactly, now he's going to get super possessive. Who knew Mark was the jealous type?" Felix said.

"He wasn't jealous, you just weirded him out." Jack protested.

"If you say so, Jacky. Just wait and see how he's going to act every time I'm around. It's going to be great." Felix said.

"Whatever you say." Jack said, rolling his eyes.

"Also, I'm glad to see that you aren't ignoring him." Felix said with a knowing smile.

"I still am, just not as much. He's not taking me home this week or anything." Jack argued.

"Yeah, okay. I'm sure that will last." Felix said.

"Whatever, let's talk about something else, please." Jack said.

"Of course, Jack." Felix said. They continued walking and had a great night at Jack's house.

Jack put his concerns at the back of his mind, happy to have a carefree evening before having to deal with his feelings once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I added a couple of references to the Pax Panels by the way haha. While writing this, I listened to "Only Human" by Jessye Jennings. It's an original song that she related to Castiel (my sweet perfect angel) from Supernatural. Even if you don't watch the show (you should, it's my favorite thing ever), you really should listen to her stuff, she is so talented and I'm constantly impressed by her. Thanks for reading!  
> -letsdoaskit
> 
> ****Okay, so I just reread this to help refresh my brain so I could finish chapter five (should come today, the eleventh) and I found SEVEN errors, yeah, seven. That isn't even including the parts where I was redundant as all heck. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry and if you want to point out my mistakes, I'd be glad to correct them. Thanks again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark is starting to panic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I'm back. I started writing this chapter four days ago and I just couldn't get it out the way I wanted to, so I'm sorry. I wanted to give you an early update and I failed. This chapter gets a bit dramatic for a reason, I'm going to call it my crossroads. After this chapter I can either drag this story on with a bunch of plot twists and involve all of the characters more or I can start on the ending without too much more expansion on the side characters. I really need your help because I'm going back and forth and can't decide. Thank you for reading!  
> -letsdoaskit
> 
> *Five chapters in and yeah, I'm still sorry about my grammatical errors.  
> **Also, please stick with me through the chapter, I know it gets a bit crazy and I promise I'll explain it a bit in the end notes.

     Mark didn't know what to do. He felt like Jack had finally decided to move on from him. As though he had finally figured out that Mark was too annoying to be friends with. Mark was already becoming keen to the fact that Jack was trying to avoid him.

" _But he's letting you use his locker._ " Mark told himself. " _It was probably just pity."_ The more pessimistic part of his brain argued. He let out a sigh before he was suddenly tackled to the ground. His reflexes kicked in quickly and he used his hands to keep his face from hitting the hard turf beneath him.

"Mark, come on! Get out of your head and into practice, the coach is starting to notice that you aren't doing anything." Wade whispered urgently before getting up and holding a hand out to his friend.

"I'm sorry, I'm just a bit distracted I guess." Mark said as he accepted his friend's help. Once he was back on his feet, he cast a weary glance at his coach who was frowning at him.

Wade winced sympathetically, "Jack?" He asked. Mark nodded silently.

"I wish I could get him out of my head Wade, but it's honestly getting more and more difficult." Mark said with a pout.

"You're starting to sound like one of those dumb teen romance movies." Wade teased.

"And how do you know what those sound like?" Mark retorted.

"It's a guilty pleasure." Wade confessed.

"Barnes! Fischbach! Get over here!" Their coach suddenly yelled angrily. They both winced before sharing a glance and running over to the coach.

"Everything alright, sir?" Mark asked.

"No, it isn't "alright", Mark. We don't have these practices for you two to sit around lollygagging. We have them to get work done." The coach said.

"We're sorry, sir. We just got a bit distracted. It won't happen again." Wade said apologetically.

"No, it won't. Three laps around the field. Right now. Go!" Their coach demanded, gesturing around the field.

"But practice is about to end." Mark protested.

"No but's. Start running. If you're fast enough, I might not have to keep you over." He said sternly. Mark and Wade looked at each other before starting to run.

"This is dumb." Wade complained.

"Tell me about it. He hasn't punished us with laps since freshman year." Mark grumbled as he ran.

"I blame you for this." Wade said.

"Whatever, just keep running." Mark said.

They managed to complete their laps before the end of practice and made their way to the locker room with their teammates. As they passed their coach he grabbed Mark's arm to stop him.

"Go on ahead, Barnes. I need to have a word with our quarterback." He said. Mark tried to shake down his anxiety as he followed his coach to the bleachers to sit.

"So, talk to me. What's distracting you?" The coach asked.

"Um, it's nothing, sir. I've just been a bit spacey lately." Mark answered hesitantly. The coach sighed.

"Listen, Mark, I know you aren't telling me the truth and I won't make you, but I need you to get past this. It's starting to affect the way you play and that's not fair to your team." He said. Mark looked at his feet guiltily.

"I know that senior year can be stressful, but I also know you can handle it. You need to take whatever is bothering you and face it head on. Can you do that for me?" He asked. Mark nodded, a bit bewildered that his football coach was unknowingly giving him relationship advice.

"Good. I expect you to be back to normal next practice, now go home and get some sleep." His coach said, standing up.

"Yes, sir, and also, thank you for the advice." Mark said, fully intending to ignore it.

"Anytime kid, now go!" He said.

Once Mark finally made it to the locker room, it was empty aside from Bob and Wade.

"I can't believe you two had to run laps." Bob said as Mark entered the room.

"Shut up." Mark grumbled as he opened his locker and started to change.

"Did the coach yell at you?' Wade asked, concerned.

"No, he kind of, like, gave me relationship advice?" Mark asked, still confused about the whole thing. His friends stared at him.

"He what?" Wade asked.

"It wasn't intentional. He just said I need to face my problems or something like that." Mark said, a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Oh, are you finally going to ask Jack out then?" Bob asked, nonchalantly.

"What? No, shut up. Jack doesn't like me like that. I'm pretty sure he's into his weird transfer friend anyway." Mark said with a sigh.

"Who? Felix? I can confirm that they aren't dating." Wade said proudly.

"What? How do you know?" Mark asked suspiciously.

"I, um, have talked a little with Felix before." Wade said.

"Traitor." Mark glared.

"Settle down, Mark. Just try to keep it together during practices, okay?" Bob said, trying to change the subject.

"I know, I'm working on it." Mark said, shutting his locker.

"You guys want to come over or something? I just got some new games we could play." Mark asked. They both agreed and headed to Mark's car to have a fun evening together.

\---

The next time Mark entered the school, he entered with the resolve to speak with Jack. He wanted to work out whatever had Jack avoiding him, so they could get past it and continue being friends. Mark had almost completely given up the idea of being in a relationship with Jack completely, but even if they couldn't be together, Mark wanted Jack in his life. When he entered the building he walked straight past his friends to Jack's locker, where he found his crush talking to Felix Kjellberg. Mark was pretty sure that Felix had been created by the universe just to spite Mark. He groaned quietly before approaching his two classmates.

"Good morning." He greeted without his normal morning enthusiasm.

"Woah, you alright there Mark?" Jack asked, picking up on the change immediately.

"Just peachy." He replied.

"Hello, Mark." Felix said with a smile.

"Felix." Jack warned, with a stern look.

"Don't worry, I'll play nice." He said with a mischievous smile. Mark looked between them with a confused look.

"Don't mind him, I assume you need your books, Mark." Jack said, stepping aside to allow Mark access to Jack's locker.

"Yeah, also I'd like to talk to you." Mark said.

"Is that why you're so glum this morning? Is everything okay?" Jack asked worriedly. Felix suddenly smiled and leaned over to whisper into Jack's ear. Jack blushed as he listened. Mark started grabbing his books and pretended not to notice how close they were.

"Felix, why don't you go talk with that new friend you found. Ken was it?" Jack asked afterwards, obviously trying to get Felix to leave quickly.

"Alright, but you know I'm right." He said as he started to leave.

"No, you aren't!" Jack yelled after him, the blush still obvious on his face.

"What was that about?" Mark asked as he put his backpack back on and shut Jack's locker. They started to make their way to their classroom as they spoke.

"Felix was just being dumb. What was it that you needed to talk about?" Jack asked, still looking a bit bothered by whatever Felix had said.

"I was just wondering if you really wanted to walk this week, or if you just wanted to get away from me." Mark said with a frown. Jack's head snapped up and his attention went fully onto Mark.

"I-no, that's not really-um." Jack attempted to stutter out a response. Mark sighed sadly.

"If you want me to leave you alone, all you have to do is ask." Mark said, wondering when they had stopped walking. Jack sat surprised for several moments, which Mark took as his cue to leave.

"I understand. I'll stop bugging you so mu-"

"Mark! No!" Jack exclaimed, finally managing to get full words out of his mouth. He let out a breath and ran a hand through his bright hair nervously.

"I don't want to lose you. I just need to get away from you for a while." He tried to explain.

"Why?' Mark asked, confused.

"I can't tell you that." Jack said, fiddling with anything he could get his hands on. He adjusted his hoodie strings, his bracelets, his backpack straps, everything in an attempt to let out the nervous energy he was suddenly full of.

"And why can't you tell me?" Mark asked, sounding hurt.

"I'm just... getting too close to you." Jack said, desperately hoping that Mark would understand.

"What's that even mean?" Mark asked. Jack's face went through a series of changes as he decided how to answer. He ran another hand through his hair before taking a breath and starting to speak.

"Look, Mark, I'm going to be completely honest with you. Ever since middle school I've-"

"Jack!" A voice yelled suddenly, cutting him off. Both of their heads turned towards the sound. It was Felix jogging towards them.

"Great." Mark sighed unhappily, wondering what Jack was about to admit.

"Jack, I need your help!" He said urgently.

"Felix, I'm kind of busy right now." Jack sighed, looking apologetically at Mark.

"Please, it will only take a second." Felix pleaded. Jack looked at Mark questioningly. Mark was surprised that Jack was asking his permission, but he found it endearing.

"Go ahead, I'll wait." Mark said, offering a small smile to show that he wasn't angry.

"Thank you." Jack said, gratitude showing through his bright blue eyes.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but it's urgent." Felix said, sending an apologetic glance at Mark.

"You remember those girls that are like obsessed with me?" Felix asked and Jack nodded.

"Well, they might of cornered me." Felix said.

"So? It looks like you got out just fine." Jack said.

"Yeah, about that. I might have lied to them in order to get away." Felix said, scratching the back of his neck. Jack sighed and began to fidget nervously again.

"What did you tell them?" Jack asked.

"I might have told them that I was gay." Felix said.

"Okay, how is that a problem?" Jack asked.

"They want proof." Felix said.

"Proof?"

"Yeah, they want me to kiss you."

"What?" Jack asked, dumbfounded.

"You can't do that." Mark said almost immediately after.

"Well they said a guy and you're the first person I thought of, though Mark seems against the idea." Felix said with a small smile. Jack looked towards Mark with confusion. Mark wondered when his morning turned so dramatic.

"I just mean, that, well... um... Jack is sick! Yeah. You shouldn't kiss him, or you could get sick." Mark said, trying to cover up his jealousy.

"I'm actually not really sick anymore. I'd love to help you, Felix, but I've...um... never really kissed anyone before." Jack said, looking at his shoes. Mark didn't know how much more adorable Jack could get.

"What? Shoot, Jack, I didn't know. You don't have to do this." Felix said apologetically. Suddenly, a group of girls rounded the corner and Felix screeched.

"Wait, that's who you're afraid of? They look like they're twelve." Mark said with a frown.

"Dude, they're vicious. Jack, I change my mind, please make-out with me." Felix pleaded as they approached.

"Um..." Jack looked at a loss as he glanced between Mark and Felix. Mark sighed.

"How about I help you both?" Mark asked.

"How?" They asked in unison

"By doing this." Mark said as he grabbed Felix roughly and kissed him hard on the mouth. He let him go after a few seconds and turned to the girls.

"Leave him alone, he isn't into you." Mark said, making a shooing motion with his hands. He turned back towards Jack and Felix and scratched his neck nervously.

"Sorry, I figured it would work just as well though." Mark explained. Both of them just stared at him with shocked faces.

"Dude, are you _trying_ to ruin my OTP?" Felix asked and Jack elbowed him in the ribs.

"Your what?" Mark asked, confused.

"Does anyone get on the internet these days?" Felix asked. There was an awkward silence before Felix spoke again.

"Thanks for the help, Mark. I'm going to let you and Jack finish your little talk and go to class and all that." Felix said awkwardly and Mark nodded. Felix looked thoughtful before moving towards Jack and giving him a hug. Mark heard him whisper something in Jack's ear again, but he couldn't make out the words. When he pulled back, he held Jack by the shoulders as he looked him in the eyes.

"Do you understand?" Felix asked and Jack nodded, shock still on his face from Mark's stunt.

"Good, I'll see you later, thanks again for the help!" Felix said as he walked off as if nothing had happened. Once they were alone, Jack and Mark sat in a tense silence.

"So, are you mad?" Mark asked quietly.

"No? Should I be?" Jack asked, confused.

"I don't know, I mean I did just kiss your best friend." Mark said.

"With his consent and to get me out of it." Jack said.

"Yeah, but you sound upset." Mark pointed out.

"No, I'm grateful for your help." Jack said honestly.

"Are you sure that you aren't mad at me?" Mark asked.

"I'm sure." Jack said as he continued their walk to their classroom.

"Do you want to finish what you were going to tell me?" Mark asked. Jack bit his lip as he considered it.

"No, it wasn't that important." Jack said. Mark wanted to argue that it obviously was, but chose to remain quiet instead.

"Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you start taking me home again?" Jack asked. Mark gave a smile.

"Of course." Mark said.

While he walked, Mark decided that he wouldn't hold back anymore. Soon he was going to tell Jack exactly how he felt about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, how fun was that? Right? I'm so sorry, I honestly cringed a little bit while writing that kiss scene, but you should know that I did it a) because I needed drama, b) because I wanted to show how much Mark cared about Jack (he was willing to make out with someone he hated and such), and c) because I can't wait to write Jack all jealous next chapter. Anyways, while writing this I listened to Five Nights at Freddy's: The Musical basically switching between all of the nights because why not? Hope you liked the words that I typed on my keyboard for you!  
> -letsdoaskit
> 
> *There's a lot more reasons for things that happened in this chapter, but I don't want to waste your time by explaining them here, so if you have any questions I'd be happy to clear things up for you in the comments!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is feeling a bit conflicted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who was successful?? It was me! I'm here with a new chapter and not a nasty update, you have no idea how guilty that made me feel, I'm so sorry. I don't really know what was wrong but it seemed to fix itself after I restarted my laptop a couple of times. *shrugs* Anyway, now to the fun! I think for the next chapter, it's going to be from either Bob, Wade, or Felix's points of view so we have a bit of an insight of what's going on there. If you have a preference of who's POV I should use for that, I'd love to hear it! Though I might just split it between them. Thank you so much for bearing with me through all of this!  
> -letsdoaskit
> 
> *Sorry, for grammatical errors, I'm only human (or am I dancer?)  
> 

     Jack was feeling a bit conflicted. On one hand, he was extremely happy that he didn't have to kiss Felix, but on the other hand, he was upset because Mark kissed Felix. The opposite emotions were giving him a headache. He thought back to the things Felix had whispered to him.

" _He's probably upset because I'm here._ " He had said once Mark arrived at Jack's locker for his books. And then after Mark kissed him he said more.

" _I'm sorry,_ _I didn't mean to put you in that position. Mark only did that to save you from wasting your first kiss. He doesn't like in me in any way._ "

Then he asked Jack if he had understood, and Jack nodded. Jack was trying not to be a liar, but the more he thought about it, the more he wondered how necessary it was for Mark to kiss Felix. He could have just reasoned with the girls, he IS the star quarterback after all. Jack frowned as he ran the scenario through his mind again. He wasn't mad at Mark, at least he didn't FEEL mad at Mark. He just felt...betrayed, in some weird way. He broke himself out of his thoughts to find that homeroom was almost over and began to pack up his things. Once the bell rang, he looked up to find Mark looking at him strangely.

"Do you need something Mark?" Jack asked, confused.

"No, not right now. Maybe later." Mark mumbled, more to himself than to Jack.

"Um...okay?" Jack said

"Yeah. I'm just going to go to class now. I'll see you after school though." Mark said as he rushed out of the classroom.

 _"He probably still feels awkward because he kissed Felix in front of me._ " Jack told himself, still cringing slightly at the memory as he walked to his science class. They were supposed to have a nice and easy lab day, so Jack felt a bit calmer as he walked into the classroom. He got all of the materials ready and waited patiently for Bob to arrive. When the aforementioned student finally showed up, he regarded Jack carefully.

"Hey Jack." He said calmly.

"Hi?" Jack said questioningly.

"Is there a reason that you're looking at me like that?" Jack asked.

"Not at all." Bob said with a slight squint as if he were trying to figure out what Jack was thinking.

"Um, alright then. Do you have your worksheet?" Jack asked.

"Worksheet?" Bob asked, confused.

"Your science worksheet?" Jack said.

"Oh, yeah. I guess I'm just in another place right now." Bob said as he took out his worksheet.

"Everyone is acting so strangely today." Jack muttered to himself as he started to fill out the questions.

"Who do you mean by everyone? Strange how?" Bob asked, excitement clear in his voice.

"I don't know. Earlier, Felix and Ma- You know what? It's not important. What did you get for number seven?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

"Were you going to talk about how Mark kissed Felix Kjellberg?" Bob asked as he looked through the paper.

"The answer is phosphorus by the way." He added after a moment.

"What?" Jack asked, his voice sounding weak.

"Number seven. The answer is phosphorus." Bob clarified with a small, triumphant smile.

"I-yeah, okay. Phosphorus. Got it." Jack said.

"You know, the whole school is talking about Mark and Felix kissing." Bob said carefully.

"They are?" Jack asked, giving Bob his full attention.

"Why wouldn't they be? Mark basically just "came out of the closet"." Bob said as he continued his worksheet.

"Wait, I thought Mark had a girlfriend back in seventh grade?" Jack asked.

"He did. He isn't gay." Bob said looking up at Jack's face.

"I-I see." Jack said looking back towards his paper. Bob gave a mischievous smile.

"He's actually bisexual."

Jack's head shot up.

"Really? That's, um, interesting." He said, failing to sound nonchalant about it.

"Oh, why is that interesting Jack?" Bob asked, sounding completely innocent.

"I was just- I don't know." Jack said, his face going bright red.

"To be honest with you Jack, I think we both know why that's interesting to you." Bob said, turning to look Jack in the eyes.

"You do?" Jack asked. It felt like his stomach had dropped into his feet.

"Yes, I do. I also know that it's completely okay for you to like Mark." Bob said.

"I really, um, I don't have a crush on Mark." Jack argued weakly. Bob just stared at him until Jack hung his head in defeat.

"I don't want to. It just sort of happened." Jack said.

"You can't choose who you like Jack. It's not a bad thing to like another person." Bob said.

"It doesn't really fit the image though, does it? Hardcore punk kid that likes a freaking ball of sunshine." Jack said with a small laugh.

"Yeah, your personality is pretty opposite from how you look." Bob said. Jack shrugged.

"Oh well, you can't choose what you like to wear Bob." Jack said, repeating Bob's words from earlier. They both laughed at that.

"You're so perfect for Mark that it hurts." Bob said in between his laughs.

"I don't think that's true." Jack said with a small smile and Bob rolled his eyes.

"You're both such idiots." Bob said, fondness evident in his voice. Jack quirked an eyebrow at that, but Bob just waved him off.

"Either way Jack, you don't have to worry. I won't tell anyone." Bob said.

"Thank you." Jack said.

"Anytime."

They went back to working when Jack remembered something that Felix had said.

"Do you talk to Felix?" Jack asked.

"We've talked before. Why?" Bob asked.

"Oh my gosh. You and Wade really do ship us." Jack said, dumbfounded.

"I mean if you want to phrase it that way, yeah." Bob said without a hint of shame. Jack just stared at him.

"What did you get for number eleven?" Bob asked.

"Bismuth." Jack said, wondering when his day became so strange.

"Ha, the chemical symbol is just like you and Mark." Bob said. Jack looked at his periodic table and groaned.

"You're horrible." He said.

"No, I'm a genius!" Bob said. They talked idly and worked on their papers for the rest of the class.

\---

 Lunch brought Jack a lot of misfortune. In other words, Mark's lunch table was swarmed with people. Jack wasn't sure whether they were flirting with him, standing up for him, or insulting him, all he knew was that it annoyed him.

"Jack? You seem a bit tense." Felix said.

"I'm fine." He said through clenched teeth.

"Oh my god, you're getting jealous." Felix said in amazement.

"No, I'm not. I'm perfectly happy." He said, glaring daggers at the crowd of people around Mark.

"It's so cute. Oh my god." Felix said, trying to wave off some of the people staring at him for kissing Mark.

"I'm too old to be called "cute" Felix." Jack said, turning his glare onto his friend.

"Well look at that, you might just be punk after all."

"Shut up." Jack said, looking back at the crowd.

"What are they so interested in anyway?" He asked.

"Well, Mark is popular and he hasn't shown an interest in dating someone since seventh grade. I guess they all think that they have a chance now." Felix said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I'm sure they are all his type." Jack grumbled.

"Geez, I've never seen you so moody." Felix said. Jack looked over and softened his gaze.

"Sorry, I'm just annoyed, I don't mean to take it out on you." He said.

"Don't worry, I get it. Do you want to leave?" Felix asked.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Jack said, standing and heading towards the trash can. He locked eyes with Mark as he passed his table. Mark gave a small smile and Jack returned it.

\---

After school, Jack once again was waiting in the bleachers. This time was different though because the group that always sat and watched the practice had doubled.

" _It's like he has a fan club now._ " Jack thought to himself as he put his earbuds in to block their cheering. He opened his sketch book and stared blankly at it. He had no idea what to draw. After trying to decide for what felt like an hour, he decided to draw a simple tree. Halfway through it he put two hard lines over what he had drawn to make a large "X" over it. He closed his sketch book and put his head into his hands, waiting for the practice to end. When it finally did, he walked to Mark's car, rather than waiting in the bleachers.

"Hey!" Mark greeted when he saw Jack by his car.

"Hey, Mark." Jack replied.

"You seemed a bit down from where I was in the field. Is everything alright?" Mark asked with a concerned look.

"Yeah, just got a bit lost in my head I guess." Jack responded.

"Oh I see." Mark said.

"Well, let's get going!" He said, attempting to brighten Jack's mood.

They got in the car and Mark started to drive to Jack's house.

"So, what did you draw today?" Mark asked, still trying to find out more about Jack's sketches.

"I attempted a tree." Jack said.

"A tree?"

"Yeah."

"That's strange." Mark noted.

"Why's that?" Jack asked.

"Well, normally you draw big complicated scenes. It seems strange that all you drew today was a tree." Mark said.

"I just wasn't feeling it today. Like I said I _attempted_ to draw a tree, it didn't work out very well." Jack said.

"I'm sorry about that." Mark said. Jack gave a shrug.

"It happens sometimes. There's really nothing anyone can do about it." Jack said.

"Yeah, it happens when I play sports. Sometimes I'm just bad." Mark said.

"Humans are weird." Jack said.

"Yeah." Mark replied. They slipped into a comfortable silence after that. Jack was happy that they were able to talk normally after all that had happened during school. When Mark pulled up to Jack's house, his mother was outside working in the garden.

"Thank you for driving me home again Mark." Jack said.

"No need to keep thanking me, I really do enjoy doing it." Mark said happily.

"Well, my mother taught me manners, so I will continue to thank you anyway." Jack said playfully. Mark laughed.

"She did a great job. I'll see you tomorrow Jack."

"You too. Goodbye, Mark!" Jack said as he exited the car.

"Bye, Jack!" Mark called as Jack shut the door. His mom looked up from where she was kneeling by the garden and met him halfway through the yard.

"Hi, sweetie." She greeted.

"Hi, Ma." He said.

"Sean? What's wrong? Did you have a rough day?" She asked, automatically picking up on his mood.

"Yes."

She automatically pulled him in for a hug and he gladly returned it, listening to the sound of Mark's car driving away.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if that pacing was a bit wonky. Also, thank you to Lulu and Jesanndei for the well wishes to my sister! She's okay, she just needs to stop bonking her head on things haha. Anywho, while writing this I listened to "Megalovania" from the Undertale soundtrack. I believe it's Jack's favorite off the soundtrack, but I'm not sure anymore since he had to listen to it so much on the genocide route haha. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, my lovely people!  
> -letsdoaskit (I'm waiting for the day that I spell that wrong and don't notice until it's too late to fix it)
> 
> *Also, if you guys wanted any other ships in this, I might be open to adding some, I don't really know. If you have suggestions though, I'd love to hear them!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their plan was going smoothly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I have a new update ready for your wonderful faces (only like three days late, i know im a peasant). Sorry the chapter is so short, but I really didn't feel the need to add more to it. Regarding next week though, I am going out of town for a camping trip so I won't have the ability to write, but I am going to try and get an update up on Sunday. If one doesn't go up then, you probably won't get an update next week, I just wanted to let you know so no one is waiting around or thinking I died and abandoned you or something. Thank you for the understanding and I hope you enjoy the chapter!  
> -letsdoaskit
> 
> *I promise the grammar mistakes are my cat's fault! I'm innocent, I swear!

_Bob_

        Bob's plan was going perfectly. He estimated that in just over a month, Mark and Jack would be in a beautiful, blossoming relationship. At first his little idea had just been for Mark's benefit, the guy was always down because of his little crush. However, as he learned more about Jack, Bob realized that the relationship would be great for him too. He also didn't expect that Jack would actually be so kind and considerate. The first time they had talked to each other, Jack managed to make Bob feel important for the first time in years.

"Bob! Were you even listening?" Mark asked with a distressed look on his face.

"Sorry, I was thinking. Tell me again?" He asked apologetically.

"I was talking about how I ruined all of my chances with Jack." Mark said, running his hand through his hair.

"Why do you think that?" Bob asked, fiddling with the food in front of him. Mark had called Bob soon after practice, begging him to meet him at their local diner for unknown reasons.

"He was acting all weird while we were practicing and-"

"Wait, how was he acting "weird" during practice?" Bob asked.

"How could you not tell? He gave up drawing so fast and didn't even look up at the field once." Mark said.

"Sorry, I don't stare at him as much as you Mark." Bob said with a hint of amusement present in his voice.

"I don't stare, I just check on him occasionally. You know to see if he decides to walk home or anything." Mark defended.

"I'm sure that's definitely the only reason you do it." Bob said.

"Shut up. That's not what we're here to talk about. I don't know what to do, Bob. I was going to tell him that I liked him, but then he looked so sad at practice and when I drove him home I thought I made him happy but then he looked so sad and hugged his mom. It was so cute but- Why are you making that face?" Mark asked, cutting himself off.

Bob stared at Mark in surprise.

"You were going to... confess to... Jack?" Bob asked, confused.

"Yeah, is that bad? Should I not?" Mark asked, panicked.

"No! I mean yes. You should confess, that would be good." Bob said, wondering where the flaw in his plan was. He estimated that Mark wouldn't be ready to confess for at least another three weeks, but if he was ready now, Bob could definitely speed his plan along.

"We can even help you with it." Bob said, trying to insert himself.

"I don't know. I think I should take a week and think this through." Mark said, sounding unsure.

"What's holding you back?" Bob asked, confused.

"What do you mean?" Mark asked.

"You've liked Jack since middle school, what are you suddenly so unsure about?" Bob asked.

"Pretty much everything that every single person who's about to ask someone else out is nervous about." Mark said.

"You're still nervous about whether or not he likes you?" Bob asked.

"Of course I am and before you say it, staring at someone doesn't mean you like them." Mark said in exasperation.

Bob thought back to Jack's confession earlier in the day, but decided to keep his promise and not mention it.

"Mark, you won't know if you don't try." He said instead. Mark gave a sigh.

"I know." He said looking down at the table.

"Come on, buddy, it'll all turn out alright. Wade and I are right behind you." Bob said.

"I know and I appreciate that. I'll go for it next week." Mark said looking up at his friend.

"I'd better get going though, it looks like it's about to rain and I have to walk home." Mark said, looking out the nearby window.

"Alright, I'll cover the food." Bob said as Mark started to get out his wallet.

"Thank you, I'll pay you back." Mark said gratefully.

"It's no problem, you don't have to do that." Bob said.

"Do you even know me?" Mark asked.

"Unfortunately." Bob said.

"Hey! I'm a delight." Mark defended.

"Yeah, okay. Get out of here." Bob said with a smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow, thanks for the talk." Mark said as he left the diner. As soon as he left, Bob pulled out his phone and sent a text to Wade.

_Bob - Mark wants to ask Jack out._

_Wade - What? I thought that was going to take another month?_

_Bob - Me too. He just told me that he was going to take another week to think it over and then ask him out._

_Wade - We all know that next week he'll say he wants to wait another week don't we?  
_

_Bob - Yeah, we need to get this plan into motion this Saturday._

_Wade - But I have plans for this Saturday!_

_Bob - Plans? You only ever hang out with me and Mark?_

_Wade - I have a date._

_Bob - Really? Good for you, buddy._

_Wade - What? No teasing?_

_Bob- I mean, I was going to be nice, but if you really want me to I can._

_Wade - NO. I'm good thanks._

_Bob - I guess we can do it on Sunday?_

_Wade - Sunday is good._

_Bob - Cool. Do you want to check with Felix?_

_Wade - Yeah, talk to you when I know about that._

_Bob - Okay, later._

 Bob sat back happily, excited that he wouldn't have to deal with Mark's pining for much longer. The plan was that Wade and Bob would invite Mark out and Felix would invite Jack. They would all be at the same place, Felix would continue to make Mark jealous and eventually they would all find a way to leave Jack and Mark alone and hope for the best. The plan was simple, but it would work.

_Wade - We are good for Sunday. Felix said Jack was free too._

_Bob - Good. You text Mark, it would be weird if I did because I just saw him._

_Wade - Alright, I'll text you back in a bit._

Bob waited patiently in the diner before Wade sent him another text.

_Wade - Sunday is a go. We just need a place._

_Bob - We can figure that out tomorrow._

_Wade - Okay, see you tomorrow.  
_

_Bob - Yep, bye._

Bob payed the bill and left the diner to find it raining. It didn't dampen his mood though and he drove home with a smile on his face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, there's that. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, while writing this I listened to "All The Way" by Schmoyoho because HOW COULD I NOT? It's soo good, A+++ for Jack. In other news, regarding a new ship, I'm pretty torn between Felix with Marzia and Felix with Cry so if you have an opinion on that I am definitely open to it, though right now I think I'm leaning towards Cry as I've watched more videos with him than with Marzia, so I know him a bit better. Though, I do ship both and I'd be open to writing either. Thanks for reading!  
> -letsdoaskit
> 
> *Also could the rain be a clue about what will happen Sunday? I don't know ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is confused about who his friend keeps texting, but at least they're going to hang out on Sunday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back (in black)? It's me! To be honest I've been putting this story off in hopes that I could write this chapter in a good mind set, but I just can't and I'm sorry for that. Hopefully, I covered it up enough though. Also, I hope you guys are ready for that new ship coming in, I think we all know who I chose... The special "plan day" will be next chapter, so if you guys have any ideas for that though, they are very welcome. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you can forgive me for making you wait so long. <3  
> -letsdoaskit
> 
> *Blah Blah Grammar Blah Blah Sorry!  
> **Also after a not so quick timeline check this chapter starts on Wednesday evening and ends mid Thursday.

       Jack couldn't figure out what was making him feel so unhappy. He wasn't particularly upset with anyone or stressed at anything. Sure, he was getting a bit jealous of everyone around Mark, but he wasn't mad at them. He sat silently, watching his mom as she cooked dinner and sang along to her favorite album. His phone went off in his pocket, startling him slightly. He looked at it only to discover a text from Felix.

_Felix - vidya gaems???_

_Jack - Alright. Give me a minute._

"I'm going to go play with Felix." He said as he got up from the kitchen table.

"Outside?" His mom asked hopefully.

"You know that's not my style. Online." He said with a smile.

"One of these days I'm gonna lock you two outside of the house." She threatened.

"We'll find a way in." He said as he kissed her cheek.

"I know you will. I love you, have fun sweetie." She said as she went back to cooking. Jack tried to leave before hearing her clear her throat loudly.

"Sean, don't you have something to say?"

" I love you too, Ma." He grumbled.

"You're never to old to say 'I love you' sweetheart." She replied happily. He gave a quiet laugh.

"I know, I'm sorry." He said as he made his way up the stairs and into his room.

_Jack - What are we playing?_

_Felix - Overwatch. What else?_

Jack quickly booted up his computer and logged on to start the game. Within a few minutes, he was playing and chatting with Felix through a headset.

"Wow, can you like _not_ die? That would be helpful." Jack said when he saw that Felix had died for the third time in a few short minutes.

"Sorry, people keep texting me." Felix said defensively.

"Who? You have no friends." Jack teased.

"You're right. It's just my dad." Felix said.

"I thought he would be working right now?" Jack asked, surprised.

"He's... on his lunch break?" Felix said in a strange voice.

"Oka- Stupid widowmaker!" Jack yelled as he was killed.

"Oh, look who's dying now?" Felix said happily.

"Shut up."

"Hey, you wanna go out on Sunday?" Felix suddenly asked.

"Sure, what's the occasion?" Jack asked.

"Nothing, just thought it would be fun. This guy is absolutely _wrecking_ me." He stated in an aggravated tone.

"I've noticed. It's like he's specifically targeting you. And yeah, Sunday sounds good." Jack said, focusing on the game again.

"Geez, he's chasing me!" Felix said, incredulously.

"Aw, maybe he wants to be friends with you!" Jack teased. He laughed when Felix started cursing. It wasn't long before he died yet again.

"He has a mic!" Felix yelled triumphantly before turning his own on and yelling at the player. Jack laughed at his friend's aggravation.

"Good job, I'm sure he's terrified." Jack said when Felix went silent. After a moment of silence, Felix quietly replied,

"He's laughing at me." Jack laughed at that.

"Not you too! I thought you were my friend Jack!" Felix yelled, causing Jack to laugh harder.

By the time the match ended, Felix was muttering quietly in Swedish.

"You doing good over there buddy?" Jack asked.

"Oh just perfe- that asshole commended me!" He interrupted himself.

"Aw, he really does like you!" Jack said, upsetting his friend even more.

They continued to play and have fun until Jack went to bed.

\---

 The next day at school, Felix was constantly on his phone. Jack waited until lunch to question him about it.

"Okay, seriously, who are you texting now?" Jack asked.

"Sorry, am I not giving you enough attention, babe?" Felix asked, flirtatiously.

"Felix?"

"Yes, my angel?"

"Shut up."

"That was rude, Jack." Felix said with a pout.

"You know what else is rude?" Jack asked.

"What?" Felix asked, looking at his phone rather than Jack.

"Not telling your best friend who's replacing them." Jack said pointedly. Felix looked up guiltily.

"You're going to be upset." Felix said.

"Why?" Jack asked, confused. After a moment of hesitation, Felix held up his phone for Jack to see.

"All it says is 'Cry'? Who is that?" Jack asked, confused.

"It might be the guy that was absolutely destroying us in Overwatch last night." Felix said.

"You gave someone you literally just met on the internet your number?" Jack asked in an alarmed voice.

"I knew you'd react like that!" Felix said with a groan.

"He could be a murderer!" Jack protested.

"It's fine, Jack. It's not like I told him where I live." Felix said with an eye roll.

"He has your area code!" Jack argued.

"It's fine. He's really cool!" Felix said.

"I thought you hated him?" Jack asked.

"When he was killing me I hated him. Now? Not so much." Felix said. Jack let out a frustrated noise.

 "Don't blame me when he murders you and leaves your body in a ditch." Jack said, looking towards Mark's table.

"And you complain about me ignoring you." Felix scoffed.

"What?" Jack asked, defensively. Felix gestured towards Mark's table.

"Don't do that!" Jack exclaimed as he pushed Felix's hand down. "What if he saw?" Jack said as he glanced over nervously only to see Mark continuing to speak with his friends. Felix stared at Jack.

"You are in so deep."

"Shut up, Felix." Jack said as he picked up his tray to leave.

"Are you coming or what, jerk?" He asked.

"Of course, angel." Felix said with a smile. Jack tried to resist but quickly started laughing. Felix looked over to Mark's table to see him staring at Jack with a smile.

"Come on, I want to stop at my locker before class." Felix said, fondly.

"Sure." Jack said as he followed his friend out of the lunch room. As they walked past the front lobby, Jack looked at the rain pouring onto the sidewalks through the windows. He wasn't sure whether to be excited or upset about the weather.

"Jack, hurry up! The bell's going to ring soon!" Felix urged him along.

He nodded along and started to walk faster, forgetting all about the rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope not actually saying which ship I chose didn't make any of you upset haha, I did do it on purpose, sorry! In other news, I'm going to start posting some journal things on deviant art, which will include updates for when chapters go up and little "chapter notes" where I just write stuff I think about as I write the chapters. It also has some info about me if you're curious. The name is letsdoaskit (what? crazy..) Don't expect actual posts there though since I can't draw... Anywho, while writing this I listened to "Everything's Alright" covered by Emily Scholz of course, I'm sure you've all heard it haha. I've been sad and her voice is just so calming. Thanks again!  
> -letsdoaskit
> 
> *Thanks for all the lovely people that suggested a ship by the way, I really appreciated it <3


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark wasn't expecting to see Jack while out and he definitely wasn't expecting what else he saw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy.... it's me. I'm sorry I took so long, but I'm feeling better. Thank you so much to all of the people that sent me kind messages they really helped me :). I'm not really sure about the update schedule from here on out but I'm hoping it's semi regular. Anyway, I think I've made you all wait long enough so here is chapter nine, I hope you enjoy it.  
> -letsdoaskit
> 
> *Oh shiii it dem grammar mistakes! Sorry!

     Mark sat in his room, head in his hands trying to make sense of what just happened. He thought back to Thursday at lunch.

~~~Flashback~~~

 Mark was talking with his friends when he heard a familiar sound. He looked up to see Jack laughing at something Felix had said. Despite the jealousy that shot through him, he couldn't help but smile. Jack's happiness was infectious. His smile quickly disappeared when he remembered that he was going to tell Jack about his feelings in less than a week. It made him feel sick to his stomach.

"Are you still in for this weekend Mark?" Bob asked, causing Mark to look away from his crush.

"Yeah, I really need a relaxing weekend before next week." He said sending a nervous glance in Jack's direction.

"What's next week?" Wade asked.

"I'm going to tell Jack how I feel about him and hopefully ask him on a date." Mark said.

"You seem pretty serious this time." Wade noted with a quick glance in Bob's direction.

"I know you guys doubt that I'll go through with it, but this time is different. I can feel it." Mark said determinedly. Bob quirked an eyebrow at him.

"What?" Mark asked defensively.

"You do realize how many times we've heard this right?" Bob asked.

"Yeah." Mark sighed before continuing, "But I promise this time is different, you'll see."

"If you say so Mark." Bob said, getting up to dump his tray. Wade quickly followed sending strange glances in Mark's direction.

Mark just sighed, knowing he'd never be able to figure out his friends' weird behavior before following them.

He said his goodbye's to Bob and Wade before heading to his next class. The glass doors in the lobby revealed the rain pouring down outside. He stopped slightly to watch before shaking his head and continuing on. 

His classes dragged on, nothing interesting in any of them until homeroom at the end of the day. He walked happily to class, always excited to see Jack at the end of the day. He walked into the room to see Jack already seated staring at his phone in thought.

"Hey Jack." Mark greeted causing the other to jump.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Mark said taking his seat diagonally from him.

"Hey, yeah it's fine." Jack said, looking a bit distracted.

"Is something on your mind?" Mark asked.

"Not really." Jack said. Mark could immediately tell that he was lying.

"My car is supposed to be fixed soon." Jack said.

"You have a car?" Mark asked trying to figure out when that happened.

"Yeah? Since last year. That's why I needed a ride home, because it was broken." Jack explained in a way that showed that Mark already knew this information.

"And it's getting fixed?" Mark asked. 

Jack nodded.

"So you're going to start driving yourself again?"

Jack nodded again.

"Oh. That's... good?" Mark said more as a question than a statement.

"Yeah." Jack said looking down at his hands.

"I gotta say, I'll miss our car rides." Mark said honestly.

"Me too." Jack said with a slight laugh. "But I can't depend on you forever." He finished.

_"You could if you really wanted to."_ Mark thought to himself before realizing how gay he actually was for Jack. It took all of his effort not to facepalm.

"I suppose." He replied. They continued to talk back and forth, but something about it felt different. 

"Oh I have a doctor's appointment by the way, so my mom is picking me up right after school." Jack said glancing at the clock.

"Oh, okay." Mark replied, wondering when he got so cut out of Jack's life. He looked down at his hands for a couple seconds, feeling the air between them become awkward.

"Mark?" Jack asked.

"Yeah?" Mark responded, looking up at Jack who looked unsure about what he was going to say.

"You know I'm not like suddenly trying to avoid you or anything right? My car actually is finally getting fixed."

"Yeah, I guess I'm just going to miss taking you home." Mark said honestly. He couldn't help but notice the blush that appeared across Jack's cheeks.

"Oh. I'm going to miss it too." Jack replied.

Mark opened his mouth to answer, but the dismissal bell rang before he could get a word out.

"I'll see you later, Mark." Jack yelled suddenly as he half ran out of the room.

Mark knew he was crazy to think he saw Jack's eyes water.

\---

Fridays always sucked for Mark. Sure, he had football games and everything, but they allowed for zero social time. This meant that Mark didn't really get to talk with Jack at all. Any opportunities he had were thwarted by Jack needing to speak with a teacher or pretending he couldn't hear Mark. Rationally, Mark knew that Jack wasn't mad at him, but he also knew that being ignored hurt.

So he didn't end up speaking to Jack at all, especially since Mark had practice until the game so he wasn't able to take Jack home.

His bad mood made him play horribly. His coach called him out to ask why he was so distracted and Mark just looked at his feet in shame.

Then they lost the game. He blamed himself despite his teammates insisting that it wasn't his fault.

Like I said, Fridays always sucked for Mark.

\---

Saturday came around and Mark just sat around dejectedly. He considered cancelling the plans he had made with his friends for Sunday, but something told him not to. He looked up surprised when his phone buzzed on his desk.

_Bob - You still up for tomorrow?_

_Mark - I guess._

_Bob - Quit being so depressing. You're going to ruin my plans._

_Mark - I'd ask but I don't even care anymore._

_Bob - Aw, come on Mark, you're no fun anymore!_

Mark smiled at that and continued to text Bob, wishing Sunday would come sooner.

\---

 Mark woke up excited on Sunday. Looking out the window and seeing the rain didn't change matters for him. He quickly got dressed and texted Bob and Wade to figure out where they were going.

_Wade - Just the mall._

_Bob - It's going to be fun though so don't even try to get out of it._

_Mark - I'm coming geez. You guys are so controlling._

Mark grabbed his keys and sent a quick text to say he was coming to get them.

Driving through the rain was always calming to him. He turned the radio off in order to hear the gentle pattering on his car before pulling to a stop at Bob's house.

"Hey Mark." Bob said as he opened the passenger side door.

"Hey, how are you?" He replied.

They continued their small talk until they arrived at Wade's house.

"Hey." He said when he got in the car, staring at his phone.

"Wow, you won't even look up from your phone to greet your best friends? You've changed Wade." Bob said.

A blush entered Wade's face.

"Sorry, I was just... checking the weather?" He replied.

"Or you were talking to last night's date." Mark practically sang from the driver's seat.

Wade sighed.

"Yeah."

"How did it go?" Bob asked excitedly.

"Good." Wade said. "I really like her." 

"I'm glad." Mark said happily.

They continued to talk until they arrived at the mall.

"Wade, why don't you figure out where your girlfriend is?" Bob asked with an emphasis on "girlfriend".

"What? Why would I- OH yeah, I'll do that." Wade said catching onto Bob's implication.

Mark stared at them both with bewilderment.

"You guys are so weird" He said with a shake of his head. He turned off the car and began to exit before Bob stopped him.

"Hold on a second. Wade's still texting."

Wade looked up at Bob and shrugged unknowingly.

Bob sighed.

"Alright, I'm going to leave now. Are you guys coming or would you rather wait in the car?" Mark asked in exasperation.

"We're coming." Bob said.

Mark exited the car trying to shake off his friends' weird behavior when he caught sight of two people in the distance.

It was hard to tell in the rain but it almost looked like Felix and- 

"Jack!" Felix yelled as Jack slipped in the rain.

Mark froze as Jack fell, before he hit the ground though, Felix caught him. 

They sat silently in their new position. It looked like Felix was dipping his friend romantically during a dance. Mark watched as Felix slowly pulled Jack to his feet and hesitantly leaned in.

Mark's world went silent as Felix placed a light kiss on Jack's cheek. He stared in shock.

"Mark? You coming?" Wade yelled over the rain, bringing Mark out of his trance. He heard Jack laughing in the distance and he had no clue why.

"Yeah, sorry just got distracted." Mark said to his seemingly oblivious friends.

He followed behind Bob and Wade, wishing he had chosen to stay home today.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope I met expectations with this chapter. While writing this I listened to "Yuri on Ice" because I'm YoI trash now. I did write chapter notes, and before them I listed a few questions I'd love your guys' opinions on over on deviantart under letsdoaskit. Also I am always open to feedback, comments, and suggestions. Thank you so much for sticking around with me through all of that. <3  
> -letsdoaskit


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack thought he was going to have a nice day out with his friend, but now he was just really confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's late again? It's me! I guess I can't make trustworthy update promises anymore can I? Sorry for the wait friends, I hope you enjoy the update even if it is a bit short.  
> -letsdoaskit  
> TRIGGER WARNING: There is a small bit of language in this one, bullying references, and homophobia by the way, it's pretty mild but if you are concerned to read this please ask for more details, I don't want anyone putting themselves in danger here <3
> 
> *Sorry for grammar and/or continuation errors, this one was transferred around a lot so I hope it didn't get too jumbled it, also I was literally running on about zero hours of sleep while writing most of it...woops...  
> **Also because of the jumbles, I didn't do chapter notes for this one if anyone was interested in that, I apologize and I will try to get them done in the future <3

     Jack was tired. There were so many things going on in his life that he could barely keep up with. Despite this, he was excited to spend a day with Felix. Normally all they did was visit each other's houses, going out would be a welcomed change.

He was watching outside his window when his phone finally went off.

_Felix- On my way. Better be ready ;)_

_Jack- I am. Why do you always add winky faces? It makes your messages seem really suggestive._

_Felix- ;)_

Jack shook his head at his friend's antics and stood up to find his shoes.

"Is Felix here?" His mother questioned as she rounded a corner.

"Not yet. He's on his way over now."

"Maybe I should get a picture of the two of you." She said thoughtfully.

"Why?" Jack asked, confusion evident in his tone.

"Because you never leave the house any other time." She said in exasperation. Jack rolled his eyes at her and attempted to hide the grin that crept onto his face.

"Gee, thanks, Ma. That really makes me feel loved."

She smiled in response and ruffled his hair as she made her way into the kitchen.

"Invite Mark next time!" She called once she was out of sight causing a harsh blush to appear on Jack's face. A horn signalling Felix's arrival did nothing to help the situation as he yelled his goodbye and made his way out to the car.

"Why's your face all red? Were you thinking about Mark again?" Felix questioned instead of a greeting.

"Just drive." Jack mumbled. So Felix complied with a small laugh.

\---

"So... Are we gonna leave the car or...?" Jack asked a bit awkwardly, puzzled by his friend who made no movement to leave the vehicle.

Felix looked around the parking lot in a not-so-subtle fashion and then down at his phone. Multiple ideas passed around in Jack's head before he made a guess.

"Did you like- plan some sort of weird date with that Cry kid or something? Is that who you're looking for?" Jack asked, watching Felix's reaction closely.

"Aw, Jack! Still jealous, darling?" Felix asked, his voice coming out almost like a purr as his head snapped over to look at Jack.

"Over you? Never." Jack said, before opening the passenger side door to get out of the car, deciding not to mention the blush on his friend's face at the mention of Cry.

"I'm going inside now. Are you coming or not?" Jack asked, sick of waiting around in the parking lot. Felix sighed and opened his door to the rain before getting a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"RACE YOU TO THE ENTRANCE!" Felix yelled as he got out of the car, speeding through the rain. Jack cursed, but quickly caught up to his friend.

"Felix! Stop! This is dangerous, one of us could sl-" Jack was cut off as he did just what he was trying to warn his friend about. Everything hit slow motion, someone called his name and suddenly warm arms were wrapped around his waist securely.

"Thanks." Jack said breathlessly. Felix remained silent as he pulled Jack up to regain his footing. He was looking at Jack strangely, in an intense and focused way that made Jack feel uncomfortable in his own skin.

"Felix?" He whispered questioningly. All he could do was stare at Felix's face as a multitude of emotions crossed over it. Hesitantly, Felix leaned in placing a light kiss onto Jack's cheek. It was soft and tender but gone as soon as it came.

"You owe me a fucking cake now, you piece of shit." Felix whispered as seductively as he could when talking about cake. The tension breaking statement sent Jack into a fit of laughter.

"Maybe if you hadn't _sprinted_ in the fucking _rain_ I wouldn't have slipped, therefore this is your fault and I think I should be getting the cake." Jack argued without any real motivation.

"Absurd, besides since when does the knight reward the princess for being saved?" Felix countered.

"Oh, I'm your princess now, am I?" Jack said, a smile resting on his face comfortably.

"Of course, my love!" Felix said doing an over exaggerated bow. Jack laughed before shoving him lightly.

"Come on, ya doof. Let's get out of the rain." Jack said, dragging his friend by the hand into the nearby store.

\---

Their hands remained interlocked as they entered the store. Jack tried to pull away in an attempt to fix his now drenched hair, but Felix's grip tightened. Jack looked over questioningly.

"I don't want you slipping again, Princess." Felix said with a toothy grin. Jack groaned and attempted to free his hand a few more times before accepting his fate.

"Fine. You're strange, you know that?" Jack said as he pulled Felix along through the mall.

"Hang on." Felix said stopping suddenly. He pulled out his phone and a grin spread over his face as he read whatever was on the screen.

"Are going to spend this whole time texting your boyfriend?" Jack asked. Jack counted the blush dusting Felix's face as a small victory in  whatever game Felix was playing today.

"Nope. Time to shop, my love." Felix said, suddenly taking the lead and pulling Jack through the store. Jack had no choice but to follow along wherever Felix went. In the back of his mind, Jack knew that Felix was up to no good, but he also knew it felt good to spend some time out with his best friend. They walked around for a long time, Felix wasn't even looking at the items for sale, instead turning his attention to the crowd. Jack almost mentioned it, but remained silent figuring an honest answer was unlikely.

"Can we get something to eat?" Jack sighed after thirty more minutes of Felix's restless walking. At first it looked like Felix would say no and continue on his strange quest, but his face quickly lit up with delight.

"Jack, you're a genius!" He exclaimed dragging his confused friend to the nearest restaurant. They quickly ordered and sat down. Felix turned to face the door at his back and frowned.

"Switch me seats." He said. At this point Jack was used to Felix's strange behavior and switched seats without complaint. He turned to his food just as Felix brought out his phone and sent a quick text.

"Are you going to tell me what you're doing yet?" Jack asked.

"Nope." Felix said happily as he reached across the table to grab one of Jack's hands.

"Dude, seriously? Can't I at least eat without holding your hand?" Jack complained, clearly reaching his limit for the day as he attempted to pull his hand away.

"I don't want my princess falling out of the chair though!" Felix said, maintaining his grip despite Jack's struggles. It wasn't long before Jack gave up and began to eat with one hand, muttering curses under his breath. Felix laughed at him softly.

"You're adorable when you're mad." He said with a wink. Jack just glared in return, wondering why his life had turned out this way.

"Oh, come on, Princess. Play with me!" Felix whined, but Jack kept his glare in place.

"You're being so cold! And here I was thinking I was your favorite boyfriend." Felix said, dramatically placing a hand over his heart. Jack just rolled his eyes.

"More like my most annoying boyfriend." Jack said, finally returning the banter. Something like victory flashed in Felix's eyes as he continued.

"I am not annoying!" Felix argued.

"Oh, you're the most annoying." Jack said, a smile on his face.

"Alright, that may be true. You love me anyway." Felix stated matter-of-factly.

"Probably not." Jack said, causing Felix to glare.

"Fine, geez. Yes, I still love you, _darling._ " Jack responded as he rolled his eyes. Behind him something clattered to the ground. He turned to look and saw someone storming out of the restaurant. It looked a lot like Mark, another glance around revealed Mark's friends staring at each other nervously. Jack looked over to Felix.

"That's weird. Why would Mark storm out lik-" Jack cut himself off as he looked at Felix's face. It was full of guilt. Something sank in Jack's stomach.

"You planned this." He said, it was not a question but Felix nodded anyway, refusing to meet his eyes.

"We didn't think he'd storm out like that." Felix admitted.

"We? You don't mean- Jesus." Jack said as he looked over to see Bob and Wade glancing at him guiltily. Jack stood.

"We're not your little toys to play with, Felix." Jack glared.

"Jack, we just wanted-" Bob started to speak, but Jack held up a hand.

"I don't care what you wanted. You ruined it." Jack said as he ran out of the restaurant in Mark's direction.

\---

It didn't take long for Jack to find him. Mark was sitting on a bench only a few shops away. Jack approached slowly.

"Hey." He said softly. Mark looked up and disgust immediately filled his expression. Jack lurched back, surprised. He was used to soft smiles and gentle concentration on Mark's face. Disgust was a strange sight.

"What do you want?" He asked in a venomous tone. Jack stuttered.

"I-I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed pretty upset." Jack said.

"Upset?" Mark laughed. It wasn't his normal boisterous laughter though, this was cold and humorless. Jack didn't like it at all.

"Why don't you run back to your boyfriend, Jack. Quit toying with me." Mark said blandly. Jack was too stunned to respond. His...boyfriend? It took a moment for Jack to realize that Mark was referring to Felix. As he opened his mouth to respond Mark cut him off.

"I guess I shouldn't have expected anything better from the school outcast." Mark said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jack asked defensively, nerves forgotten.

"Exactly as I said. I should have known better than to talk to someone like you." Mark replied, no emotions clear on his face.

"Someone like me?" Jack repeated. He'd been bullied before, but he was NOT going to take it from someone like Mark. He scowled.

"What? A fag?" Jack asked and Mark immediately reeled back.

"You know that's not what I-" But Jack cut him off.

"An emo? A terrorist? A loser? I've heard it all before, just take your pick." Jack was close to shouting as his fists balled up at his sides.

"I'm  _so_ sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Popular. Sorry, but I'm not your fucking charity case. I thought we were friends, Mark. I guess I thought wrong." Jack said, turning and walking in the other direction. Mark stood quickly and attempted to speak, but Jack cut him off again.

"Save it!" He said angrily. "Sit the fuck down and don't move until you can't see me anymore." Jack turned away again, but he stopped after a few steps.

"Oh. And Mark?"

Mark looked up.

"Lose my number." Jack said as he left for the entrance. Rain was still pouring as he left the mall. He took a step into it and paused before accelerating into a run, well aware that this time, he had no one to catch him if he fell.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, I hope you enjoyed it, it was fun to write again, it's been a long time :) Also as I mentioned in the beginning this one was moved a lot so I'm not really sure if everything is completely right, also I realized that whenever I tried to write it I would always lose my motivation after reading the other chapters so I ended up not rereading them for most of this chapter (except the last couple) which means that there might be inconsistencies in some places, if anyone finds anything I would be ETERNALLY grateful if you pointed them out to me for correction, I need like an editor or something lol. I didn't want to mention it in the first note so everyone was like stuck looking for them, haha. Anyway, while writing (some) of this I listened to "Lovesick Fool" by The Cab, it's a very lovely song. Thank you for being here and reading this, I've missed you guys <3  
> -letsdoaskit


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